MAGADI
Congress leaders in Magadi have strongly criticized former MLAs A. Manjunath and Belagavadi Rangaswamy for making what they described as baseless allegations against Minister H.C. Balakrishna and Block Congress President K. Krishnamurthy.
Speaking at a press conference organized by the Youth Congress at the town Congress office, Congress leader Hallikar Sagar said Balakrishna’s work in the constituency was visible through several major development projects.
Sagar said projects worth thousands of crores were currently being taken up in the taluk because of Balakrishna’s efforts. He said the minister would continue in office for the next one and a half years and the Congress government would remain in power. Sagar challenged Rangaswamy to produce documents supporting his allegations against Krishnamurthy, including claims about an alleged Rs. 8 crore scam in the Vokkaligara Sangh and alleged double registration of a site.
Sagar also accused Rangaswamy of collecting public donations in the name of building a statue of Lakkegowda and questioned his record during his tenure as MLA. He challenged him to discuss the allegations openly with Krishnamurthy, saying the Congress side would accept the outcome if the accusations were proved. He said unsubstantiated statements should not be made simply for political attention.
Magadi Youth Congress president Praveen said former MLA A. Manjunath was making frustrated statements because he could not accept the development work being carried out under Balakrishna. He praised the minister for responding to people’s concerns and urged political workers not to disturb peace among JDS, BJP and Congress supporters. Student leader Kiran also listed several projects, including educational institutions, a sports stadium, Kannada Bhavan and irrigation works, and questioned the former MLAs’ contributions.
Taluk social media coordinator Yogesh said personal remarks against Balakrishna were inappropriate and accused former leaders of making statements for political publicity. Congress workers present at the meeting said they would continue supporting development work in Magadi. They urged opponents to present evidence for their allegations and keep political discussions focused on public issues and the constituency’s future.